Discussion Questions

  • What were the principal characteristics of “oligarchic democracy” in Latin America? How did it differ from “co-optative” democracy?
  • Define and describe the political roles of the military in Spanish America.
  • What were the political correlates of ISI? In what countries were they most apparent?
  • What conditions led to the emergence of women as major political actors in Latin America?
  • Why did revolutionary guerrilla movements succeed in Cuba and Nicaragua—but not in other countries of Latin America?
  • What are the principal limitations of Latin American democracy today? What is the meaning of “illiberal democracy”?  How has the socio-political orientation of democratic rule fluctuated in recent decades?